AMMAN: A second half strike from Odai Al Saify gave Shabab Al Ordun a narrow 1-0 victory over defending champions Al Faisaly in the first leg of the AFC Cup final at the Amman International Stadium on Friday. 

Al Saify scored the only goal of the game in the 52nd minute with a powerful strike from inside the box to register his fifth goal of the tournament and hand the visitors a crucial advantage for the second leg of the all-Jordanian clash in the same stadium on November 9. 

Al Faisaly were ultimately left to rue their lack of a cutting edge, although they were not helped by the absence of key players Hassouneh Al Shaikh, Mohammad Khamees and goalkeeper Loa'i Al Amaireh through suspension. 

Al Faisaly started brightly but it was Shabab Al Ordun, themselves without the suspended Waseem Al Bzoor, who had the first real attempt on goal after 27 minutes when Esam Abo Touk tried his luck from the edge the area but his shot sailed over the bar. Al Faisaly then had a chance of their own shortly after the half-hour mark but Moayad Salim's first-time volley did little to trouble Shabab Al Ordun goalkeeper Ahmad Nawwas. Al Faisaly continued to press as the first half drew to a close, while striker Bassam Al Khatib proved to be Shabab Al Ordun's main threat, but neither side could find a breakthrough as the opening 45 minutes finished scoreless. 

However, Al Faisaly should have broken the deadlock five minutes into the second half but Anas Hijah fired wide when well placed. And Shabab Al Ordun then stunned their rivals by taking the lead two minutes later as Al Saify controlled a long ball on his chest before forging his way into the area and finding the back of the net with a low drive that beat Al Faisaly goalkeeper Zapen Al Khawaldeh. 

Al Faisaly immediately went in search of an equaliser and Siraj Al Tall came close on 65 minutes but his header from a corner was turned over the bar by Nawwas. 

The defending champions kept up the pressure and despite laying siege to the Shabab Al Ordun goal for the remainder of the encounter, they could not find way back into the tie as Nizar Mahrous' side held on to their slender advantage. Al Faisaly coach Adnan Hamad insisted the missing trio would have made a significant difference to the eventual outcome, although he was quick to underline that the tie was far from over. "We played without three of our key players and we had to use players who haven't played much recently," said Hamad. 

"Goalkeeper Zapen Al Khawaldeh was playing his first match this season. "However, it's not over and I believe that we can come back in the second leg. We played well and dominated the game but we couldn't score from the chances we had. "Shabab Al Ordun were no better than us and after they scored, they went back to defending," he added.

Shabab Al Ordun's Syrian coach Nizar Mahrous agreed with his counterpart that the destination of the AFC Cup was far from certain. "I would like to praise both teams for good performances," he said. 

"Al Faisaly are a great team and there is all to play for in the second leg. "In general, I'm satisfied with the performance of my players. Al Faisaly were missing several players but we were also without some key players through suspension, such as Waseem Al Bzour. "However, I think that the absence of Hassouneh Al Sheikh really affected Al Faisaly as he is an important player who creates a lot of chances. "As for the second leg, both teams already know each other and we must be at our best to win this competition for the first time."